TWD: Marshmallows

Marshmallows are one of those treats that I have always enjoyed fresh from the bag. Well...maybe not so fresh. You never know how long those little puffs have been sitting on the shelf. After making this week's challenge chosen by Judy of Judy's Gross Eats, I don't think I'll buy pre-made marshmallow cream again if I can help it. Not only were these fairly easy to make, they are so good! As soon as I had the marshmallow cream in the pans, you better believe I was getting all that yumminess off the spatula and the bowl. mmmm...makes me want to whip up another batch so I can eat some more! I'm definitely making fresh marshmallow cream the next time I make rice krispie treats!

As for the finished marshmallows themselves, I wasn't as happy with them. After sitting overnight, the cornstarch/powdered sugar mixture seemed to either absorb into the cream or even gelled in some spots.

I cut them up (after trying to get some of the goop off) and tossed them in more of the cornstarch/sugar mix hoping to coat the sides and make them look pretty. hmmm....yeah that didn't really work. The mix seemed to clump in some places and barely coat the others. The taste was fine as long as you didn't get a clumpy spot. I was on the verge of tossing them out and starting over when I saw a box of cocoa on my counter. I tossed in about a 1/4 cup (ish) of the cocoa and voila! Pretty marshmallows! Pretty, chocolatey coated marshmallows!

These were seriously good. Messy but good! I had chocolate coated fingers when I ate them! The cocoa gave them just enough chocolate flavor and they were still white and creamy on the inside. My cousin came by after I made them (Actually, I made her help me move in some new furniture...good reward eh?) and she thought they were brownies at first. She was very pleasantly surprised to find that they were marshmallows.

I think these would be very good in smores. If you use the cocoa coated, you won't even need a chocolate bar. Well, I guess you could for twice the chocolate! Since I was fresh out of graham crackers, I chopped up a few of the marshmallows and topped them on a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream with fresh strawberries and bananas. OMG...so good. I've never been much of a marshmallow and ice cream girl but I may be a convert now. Especially if they are homemade marshmallows.

I will definitely be making these again. I want to figure out what I did wrong on this batch and maybe play with flavorings. Dorie gave some great starters on flavors (chocolate, pumpkin spice, raspberry, etc.) but I bet there are so many more that you could do. Strawberry or banana comes to mind! yum!

This was a great choice from Judy! I probably would have been too scared to make them on my own and now I have a great, easy marshmallow recipe to try from now on!

Check out the other TWD bakers to see their marshmallowy goodness! Next weeks recipe is Bill's Big Carrot Cake as picked by Amanda of Slow Like Honey. I am excited for that one! I LOVE carrot cake!

Adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Makes about 1 pound marshmallows

SERVING: Put the marshmallows out and let everyone nibble as they wish. Sometimes I fill a tall glass vase with the marshmallows and put it in the center of the table -- it never fails to make friends smile. You can also top hot chocolate or cold sundaes with the marshmallows.

STORING: Keep the marshmallows in a cool, dry place; don't cover them closely. Stored in this way, they will keep for about 1 week -- they might develop a little crust on the outside or they might get a little firmer on the inside, but they'll still be very good.

Ingredients:
About 1 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/4-ounce packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sugar

GETTING READY: Line a rimmed baking sheet -- choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high -- with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.

Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup -- without stirring -- until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites.

In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)

Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy -- don't overbeat them and have them go dull.

As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.

Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won't fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter, then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place (I use custard cups).

Dust the top of the marshmallows with cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They'll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more. (I covered them lightly with plastic wrap and left overnight.)

Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife. Whatever you use, you'll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you'd like -- into squares, rectangles or even strips (as they're cut in France). As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl. When you've got 4 or 5 marshmallows in the bowl, reach in with your fingers and turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then, one by one, toss the marshmallows from one hand to the other to shake off the excess starch; transfer them to a serving bowl. Cut and coat the rest of the batch.

Playing Around:

RASPBERRY MARSHMALLOWS: Fruit purees are excellent for flavoring these candies.
For raspberry marshmallows, you'll need a generous 1/3 cup of puree; reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon. After the batter is mixed, gently fold in the puree with a rubber spatula. You can use the same measurements and technique for other purees, such as strawberry, mango and passion fruit.

CAPPUCCINO MARSHMALLOWS: Sift 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon together into a small bowl. Stir in 1/3 cup boiling water and mix until smooth. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon, and add it to the espresso mix. After you add the sugar syrup and gelatin to the meringue, beat in the espresso mixture and continue.

LIGHT CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS: Melt 3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon, and after the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the chocolate mixture with a large rubber spatula.

PUMPKIN SPICE MARSHMALLOWS: Whisk together 1/2 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of ground allspice. After the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the spiced pumpkin with a large rubber spatula.